As the first boxes of fall arrive,
the seasons’ transition makes for interesting variety and combinations. Savor these last bits of summer and the
peak of pepper season. As it is still fairly warm during the days, please get
those greens in the fridge asap.

Standard Shares include

Okra
– Chop ‘em up for this
week’s Vegetarian Gumbo recipe!

Collard
Greens – Great in the
gumbo recipe, or with other veggies in an egg breakfast scramble.

Tomatillos
– After peeling, it is
best to wash the tomatillos with water and a tiny bit of dish soap; this
removes the tacky residue that can make your dish taste bitter.

Poblano
Peppers – With a mild
heat, these peppers are perfect for stuffing with cheese.

Mixed
Hot Peppers – To
dramatically cut down on heat, de-seed the peppers before you add them to your
dish. If you want more kick, leave
them in.

Valley
Girl Tomatoes – Yes,
you can (and preserve)! If you
can’t get enough of these delicious tomatoes, there’s still time to order 20lb
boxes to get you through the long, tomato-less California winter. Add a box
through the Online Market
for only $30!

Mixed
Bell Peppers –Add some color and flavor to your
Gumbo.

Garlic
– Storing garlic
uncovered is ideal. Just be sure there is plenty of dry air and little light to
inhibit sprouting. To avoid mold, do not refrigerate or store garlic in plastic
bags.

Don’t forget – you can always add
extra items to your order at our Online Market

News

If you
haven’t seen it yet, check out the clip of Chris on Sac 10 News (from 9/22)
celebrating Sacramento’s Farm to Fork Week and spreading the word about Say
Hay's CSA program here!

Pics of the week (1) Valley Girl tomatoes are being dried out as we shift
the water resources to fall crops.
This makes them smaller but more intensely flavored. (2) May & Dusty roll up their pants
and get dirty in the slough. Here
they constructed a dam made of pallets and feed bags to try and catch and
reserve any remaining water from Clear Lake and prepare for the (hopefully)
coming rains. This is one of the
drier years in recent memory after a very dry winter and those of us that are
dependent on rainwater catchment are conserving water as much as possible. (3) The greens. How quick they
grow! We’re using the water we
have to keep our fall crops healthy.
Do a rain dance for the farm, please!

Recipe

This Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe is
perfect for this time of year – it incorporates many of the veggies of this
week’s box. Other than the filé
powder (prounced Fee-lay), you most likely have the other ingredients at your
disposal. Filé powder is a seasoning
made from the ground, dried leaves of the sassafras tree; it’s an integral part
of the region’s cooking, used to thicken and flavor gumbos and other
dishes). While some people swear
by filé, others are comfortable leaving it out, so make it whichever way you’d
like.

2 pounds collard greens, stems
removed and chopped

2 cups water

1/4 cup vegetable oil + 2 tbsp

1/4 cup flour

2 onions, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 stalks celery, chopped

5 or 6 Valley Girl Tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup hot sauce

1 tsp filé powder (optional)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 cups vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped okra

1 16 ounce can kidney beans

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups rice, pre-cooked

In a large
soup pot, boil the greens in two cups water for about ten minutes. Cover and
allow to steam for 5 to 10 more minutes. Reserve the cooking water.

In a separate small pot, whisk together the 1/4 cup oil and flour over low
heat to form a roux, stirring continuously for about 10 to 15 minutes. Once it
turns a dark reddish brown, remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large soup or stock pot, sautee the onions, bell pepper, celery and
tomatoes for a few minutes in the 2 tablespoons of oil, until just soft. Reduce
the heat and add the hot sauce, file powder, cayenne, thyme, oregano, parsley
and garlic and cook, stirring for one or two more minutes.

Add the flour and oil roux and the vegetable broth and stir well to combine.
Add the cooking water from the collard greens and the bay leaves. Bring to a
simmer, and allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Add the collard greens, okra, kidney beans, and rice and cook for 5 more
minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.